The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, lauded the rapid response of Greece, France, Italy and Spain following the dispatchment of warships for the defense of Cyprus, stressing it exemplified European independence and steadfast solidarity.

Commenting on the Middle East conflagration during his address to the EU Ambassadors’ Conference in Brussels, Costa claimed Iran was the root cause of the conflict, adding, however, that a unilateral path could never lead to a solution.

“Iran’s attacks and those of its allies, such as Hezbollah, against its neighbors, including Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, must stop,” stressed Antonio Costa.

Antonio Costa outlined the mission of the European Union in what he described as a new geopolitical reality.

“We must defend the rules-based international order. We must safeguard the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, as reflected in our treaties,” he said. “Violations of international law must not be accepted — in Ukraine, Greenland, Latin America, Africa, Gaza Strip or the Middle East. Human rights violations must not be tolerated — in Iran, Sudan or Afghanistan,” he added.

Connecting the Middle East war with the conflict in Ukraine, Costa said Russia was the only winner. “So far, there is only one winner in this war, and that is Russia.”

According to Costa, rising energy prices benefit Russia and help finance its war in Ukraine.

“Russia is steadily undermining Ukraine’s position by violating international law,” he said. “It is gaining new resources to fund its war against Ukraine as energy prices rise. It also benefits from the diversion of military capabilities that could otherwise have been sent to support Ukraine.”